We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views.
The Nebula Cosmos 4K Portable Laser Projector is a cinephile’s dream.
Right now, plasma and OLED televisions seem to get all the love. But when it comes to watching movies, real cinephiles still opt for high-quality projectors. They provide the perfect way to bring the movie-theater experience into your home. And now, thanks to the uber-bright Nebula Cosmos 4K Portable Laser Projector, you can take that movie-theater experience anywhere you like.
The Nebula Cosmos sets a new standard in quality with its incredible 4K UHD laser-powered detail. And since it projects movies with the intensity of 2,400 ISO Lumens, it’s practically bright enough to watch at any light level, day or night. And thanks to its built-in Intelligent Environment Adaptation (IEA) Technology, the projector can analyze its surroundings in seconds to create the perfect viewing conditions.
The Nebula Cosmos 4K Portable Laser Projector Image via Nebula
Most people expect stunning, high-quality video from a cutting-edge projector. But the Nebula Cosmos also boasts dual 5W tweeters and dual 10W speakers. You’ll feel enveloped by its surprisingly rich, vibrant sound. In fact, it’s so immersive that you can actually feel it.
And because the Cosmos is portable, it’s not just a “home theater.” Its ergonomically designed handle lets you take it anywhere you like, from the boardroom to the bedroom and everywhere in between. This unique audio-visual experience will even work outside on camping trips or in the backyard for a fun summer movie night under the stars.
Best of all, the Nebula Cosmos features a wide assortment of built-in streaming choices with access to over 400,000 movies and series on over 7,000 apps, so a lack of content will never be an issue. So don’t wait! Click here to order your Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K projector today!
Changing your maiden name to match your partner’s surname after marriage is a divisive topic.
Take Jennifer Lopez’s recent decision. J.Lo relinquished her name de ella after tying the knot with actor Ben Affleck at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas on July 16. While the marriage is J.Lo’s fourth, it’s the first time she’s taken a partner’s name.
Social media went into meltdown. How dare she! She it’s anti-feminist! She she’ll lose her identity from her!
READMORE:Sydney schoolboy says he won’t let fame and marriage requests get to his head after video of him singing goes viral
Elise Elliott explains why she took husband Tom Elliott’s name. (instagram)
Why women choose to change their surname is nuanced, from religious and cultural mores to the more banal reason: “It makes paperwork and kids’ surnames easier to manage.”
For presenter, writer and motoring journalist, Elise Elliott (née Mooney), it had nothing to do with patriarchal pressures, as she revealed to her husband on their new podcast The Elliott Exchange.
The Elliott Exchangee is where Elise and her other half, top-rated 3AW Drive host Tom Elliott, exchange ideas on news, media, parenting, relationships and everything in between.
READMORE:The Duchess of Cambridge helps Team GB claim victory in Commonwealth sailing race
“I took your surname, but not for reasons you’d like to believe,” Elise confessed to Tom on this week’s episode.
“It was hard for me because I’d built up a bit of a media career as Elise Mooney. That name was rusted on.”
The husband and wife duo host a podcast together and recently took on the divisive topic of surnames after marriage. (instagram)
It was the rather shocking and amusing revelation made by her Greek friends that helped her change her mind.
“They took delight in pointing out that Mooney (mouní) is in fact a disgusting vulgar word in Greek! So I thought, ‘Well, this is my opportunity to lose it’.”
Even the Elliotts’ marriage celebrant, Greg Evans (aptly of perfect match fame), suggested the alliterative Elise Elliott sounded better.
“For me, changing my name was not about some irrefutable act of submission. It was about that greatest freedom of all – choice,” said Elise.
Unfortunately, only after signing all the paper work, did Elise make the discovery she now shares her name with (another) Elise Elliot, Goldie Hawn’s wine-swilling, chain-smoking character in The First Wives Club!
“If you google my name, up comes Goldie Hawn with a glass of wine in one hand and a ‘ciggie’ in the other!” Elise laughed.
“Great. How am I going to win with a name like that?”
The Elliott Exchange is a new podcast from 3AW Drive host Tom Elliott and belle motoring writer Elise Elliott. The media power couple live in inner Melbourne and they love to debate. Now you can hear it every week. New episodes drop every Wednesday morning.
For a daily dose of 9Honey,subscribe to our newsletter here.
David King and Gerard Whateley have named their top four seeds after Round 20 of the 2022 AFL season.
King and Whateley have ranked the four teams they have the most confidence in, coupled with what they have shown so far.
The seedings will be updated on a weekly basis on SEN’s Whateley throughout the year.
See their seeds below:
KING:
1.Geelong
“They’ve got a completely even spread across their team at the moment.
“It’s a great profile. But they were still waiting for one player to say, ‘Hey, I’m back’ and if you absolutely need me to go into beast mode for 10 minutes in a final, I’m showing you I’m still here.
“Paddy Dangerfield had 26 disposals and it wasn’t the disposal count, it was the way they counted. They have an edge to them, a level of brutality that most players can’t bring.
“It’s the biggest result out of the weekend for me, was Dangerfield doing what he did to show that he’s still got it.”
2.Sydney
“There’s a lot to like about what they’re doing with their small men department – Papley, Gulden, Warner, Parker.
“They’re dangerous. Their backline’s really solid.
“I would not want to play Sydney in Sydney if it fell that way through a finals series.
“If they were able to win in the first week of the finals, whether they’re on the road or at home, and play a home Prelim … look out.”
3.Melbourne
“They were four for me last week, they came up one, got the job done.”
4. Collingwood
“My three and four are Melbourne and Collingwood.
“Huge Friday night (game). Can’t wait to see it.”
WHATELEY:
1.Geelong
“I can’t remember a more brutal Geelong performance than that.
“The sheer physicality and (Jonathon) Ceglar gave them something really interesting.”
2.Melbourne
“I like Melbourne at two.
“That was the performance I’ve been waiting for.”
3. Collingwood
“Sheer respect for 10 in a row which is so rare.”
4.Sydney
“Completely aware of the threat that’s looming there.
“They’re into the top four which we forecast weeks ago. They’re there.”
Residents opposed to a major highway being built through a community in WA’s South West have protested as bulldozers move in, with police intervening as people tried to block machinery.
Key points:
Protesters have disrupted the first day of clearing at the Bunbury Outer Ring Road
Former Greens leader Bob Brown rallied at the site, calling for work to be halted
The $1.25 billion Bunbury Outer Ring Road is WA’s most expensive ever highway
The $1.25 billion Bunbury Outer Ring Road will take traffic around WA’s second-biggest city to create a more direct route between Perth and the Margaret River tourist region.
After a lengthy environmental approvals process, fences were this month erected around a decades-old road reserve cutting through the semi-rural community of Gelorup.
More than 300 people gathered on Sunday afternoon to protest the road going through their suburb, which they say will devastate the local environment.
People protest the construction of the southern section of the road through their semi-rural community.(ABC South West: Ellie Honeybone)
This morning, bulldozers and excavators were on stand-by, with about 20 people turning up in the middle of a severe weather warning to protest.
At least one person was issued a move-on notice by police after refusing to move out of the way of machinery.
Bob Brown calls for road rethink
Former Greens leader Bob Brown addressed the crowd gathered on Sunday, calling for federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to reverse her decision to clear the 200 hectares of woodlands.
Bob Brown urged construction work to be halted.(ABC South West: Sam Bold)
“This is an absolute utter disgrace if this goes ahead,” Mr Brown said.
“There’s alternatives, there’s open cleared areas where the proposed road could go but there’s no alternative to this woodland for these rare creatures that live in it.”
Mr Brown drew a link between the Minister’s National Press Club speech in which she detailed the degradation of Australia’s natural environment, due in part to sustained land clearing.
More western ringtail possums were surveyed in the road reserve than originally thought.(ABC South West: Sam Bold)
“You’re off to a bad start … and if you don’t get this right, if you don’t turn this around — like the possums in the way of the bulldozers — you won’t recover.”
WA’s Main Roads agency had considered an alternative route that would take the highway around Gelorup.
An environmental impact assessment found that while the original route would have a higher impact on the western ringtail possum, the alternative option would significantly impact on wetlands and endangered aquatic fauna.
Residents have vowed to keep fighting as the excavators move in.(ABC South West: Sam Bold)
Ms Plibersek said in a statement her approval required Main Roads to show it could “protect matters of national environmental significance” and “minimise the impacts of habitat fragmentation.”
She said an environmental offset strategy was also being prepared.
‘Rigorous’ environmental approvals
Main Roads WA has been bound by a strict set of environmental conditions to minimize impacts on the local flora and fauna — including the endangered Carnaby’s black cockatoo and western ringtail possum.
The road corridor has been preserved for more than 40 years and contains dense bushland.(ABC South West: Anthony Pancia)
A Department of Environment spokesperson described the process as “rigorous”.
The road being built is a significantly reduced version of the freeway-standard route initially planned.
A total of $852 million was budgeted for the Bunbury Outer Ring Road when it was announced in 2019, however, it was revealed earlier this year that figure had blown out to $1.25 billion.
A kangaroo within the road reserve set to be cleared over the next few weeks.(ABC South West: Asha Couch)
Despite that, four bridges that would have carried traffic over existing major roads have been abolished from the plans in order to save money in the face of rising construction and material costs.
It meant a promised 15-minute time-saving on the journey around Bunbury had been abandoned, as had the promise of a free-flowing freeway, with motorists instead having to negotiate roundabouts at key intersections.
Fences were installed around the road reserve in the past week.(ABC South West: Anthony Pancia)
Further cash injections had also not been ruled out, with the WA government’s upper house leader Sue Ellery telling parliament in May that additional funding would be sought if it were needed to deliver the project.
Main Roads said the road is set to be completed and opened to traffic by late 2024.
Construction is already well advanced on the northern section of the road.(Supplied: Nearmap)
JACKPOT WINNER MAY NOT HAVE COME OUT OF IOWA, BUT SOME IOWANS DID WIN BIG FOLLOWING THE DRAWING ON FRIDAY. FIVE TICKETS SOLD IN THE STATE WERE JUST ONE NUMBER AWAY FROM A PIECE OF THE JACKPOT. FOUR HAD WINNING PRIZES OF $10,000. ONE LUCKY WINNER GOT A $2 MILLION PRIZE. THAT TICKET WAS PURCHASED AT THE BIG TEN MART IN BETTENDORF. IN IOWA, NEARLY 99,000 CASH PRIZES IN TOTA
Lottery officials say 5 Iowa tickets were a number off of Mega Millions jackpot
Updated: 6:07 PM CDT Jul 31, 2022
Multiple Mega Millions tickets in Iowa were tantalizingly close to a gigantic payout, according to lottery officials. Five tickets were one number away from joining a ticket in Illinois to split the $1.337 billion jackpot, based on statistics provided by the Iowa Lottery. The Illinois ticket was the sole one to match all five white numbers and the Mega Ball in Friday’s drawing. A ticket sold at a Big 10 Mart in Bettendorf matched all five white balls, which is worth $1 million. That player chose the optional Megaplier add-on, which multiplied that prize to a $2 million win. Four other tickets matched four white balls and the Mega Ball, a combination worth $10,000. One was sold at a Casey’s in Manchester, located at 1305 W. Commercial Street. The others were sold in Newton, Storm Lake, and Mount Pleasant. Lottery officials said that Iowans purchased over $5.6 million worth of tickets for Friday’s drawing.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) —
Multiple Mega Millions tickets in Iowa were tantalizingly close to a gigantic payout, according to lottery officials.
Five tickets were one number away from joining a ticket in Illinois to split the $1.337 billion jackpot, based on statistics provided by the Iowa Lottery. The Illinois ticket was the sole one to match all five white numbers and the Mega Ball in Friday’s drawing.
A ticket sold at a Big 10 Mart in Bettendorf matched all five white balls, which is worth $1 million. That player chose the optional Megaplier add-on, which multiplied that prize to a $2 million win.
Four other tickets matched four white balls and the Mega Ball, a combination worth $10,000. One was sold at a Casey’s in Manchester, located at 1305 W. Commercial Street. The others were sold in Newton, Storm Lake, and Mount Pleasant.
Lottery officials said that Iowans purchased over $5.6 million worth of tickets for Friday’s drawing.
Tony Beaumont’s story is not rags to riches but rather riches to (cleaning) rags.
As a high-flying corporate executive he had all the trappings of success including a $200,000 salary, shares in oil giant BP, a company car and 45 staff under him but he gave it all away to scrub floors.
He now owns Jim’s Cleaning Bayview in Sydney’s northern suburbs and says despite taking a ‘financial hit’ he is much happier.
Tony Beaumont was a high-flying corporate executive with oil giant BP but he found the job had taken over his life in a way he didn’t like
The BP role required him to spend time in Melbourne each month away from his family, leaving behind his wife and two young children in Sydney.
‘My peers were all career-focused, and I had no desire to go to Melbourne ongoing – the corporate culture, drinking until midnight, couldn’t speak to my wife and kids,’ Mr Beaumont told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Mr Beaumont was getting 150 emails a day and was expected to be ‘on’ 24/7.
‘I thought “bugger it”. I had to make a change,’ he said.
As a teenager he cleaned McDonald’s restaurants and thought he might try getting behind a mop again.
‘I wanted to be my own boss,’ Mr Beaumont said.
Mr Beaumont has swapped his corporate suit for casual cleaning attire as the owner of Jim’s Cleaning Bayview in Sydney’s northern suburbs
‘I didn’t want to manage others anymore. I had had 10 direct and thirty-five indirect people reporting to me. I didn’t want any staff that I had to worry about.’
It seems he has found his niche.
‘I love cleaning as I love to see the happy faces of my clients when they come back to their property and find it perfectly cleaned, freshened up and smelling great!’ he writes on his business website about him.
Mr Beaumont admits he has taken a ‘financial hit’ but says money isn’t everything.
‘I would much rather have a happy family life and watch my kids grow up,’ Mr Beaumont said.
The so-called ‘great resignation’ has been seen many Aussies take advantage of worker shortages to decide on a career change.
Mr Beaumont says the job swap was important to him to spend more time with his young family
With the unemployment rate at four per cent, which is the lowest it has been since 1974, many workers have taken the chance to quit jobs they weren’t happy with.
Nearly 10 per cent of the workforce, 1.3 million people, swapped jobs in the year up until February 2022, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
This was the highest rate of job change in over a decade.
The professional, scientific and technical services areas were particularly notable for an increase in job mobility.
Nearly 40 per cent of managers who left their jobs went into another field, while in sales it was more than 50 per cent of job hoppers who tried something new.
CommSec chief economist Craig James said earlier this year that low unemployment was gave people the opportunity to leave unsatisfactory roles.
‘The great job market shuffle is underway,’ he said.
‘For the first time there are more people that say they are unemployed because they left their lost job rather than those that lost jobs through redundancy, business failure or poor performance.’
Mr Beaumont said even though taking over a cleaning franchise meant he took a ‘financial hit’ it was worth it
Job availability and mobility may change with rising interest rates expected to slow the economy and borders open once more to let in foreign workers.
With higher unemployment and reduced consumer spending, people may be less willing to leave jobs or take chances on setting up their own businesses.
For Mr Beaumont, however, he says he would make the swap again ‘without a shadow of a doubt’.
Ben Macintyre’s Operation Mincemeat is an astonishing true story which reads like a gripping spy thriller, and to coincide with the DVD and Blu-ray release of the film adaptation starring Colin Firth, we’re teaming up with Universal Pictures Australia to give away a copy of the paperback novel to five lucky readers.
Operation Mincemeat (film) is available to buy on August 3rd, thanks to Universal Pictures Australia.
This competition is a game of skill, so give us your best/most fun answer:
STEP ONE: Like our Facebook post
STEP TWO: head HEREto enter and tell us: What your favorite espionage movie, and why?
Competition Terms and Conditions
Entries open August 02, 2022 – 10:00AM
Entries close August 31, 2022 – 11:59PM
Winner announced September 5, 2022.
1. Entry into the promotion is deemed acceptance of these Terms and Conditions. Headings in these Terms and Conditions are included for ease of reference, and do not affect interpretation in any way.
2. The promoter is Scribal Custom Pty Ltd (ABN 27 092 362 135) of 33 Jessie Street, Richmond VIC 3121 (Promoter).
3. Entry is open only to Australian residents who are not directors or employees of the Promoter and/or its related bodies corporate (or immediate family members of those directors and employees) (Eligible Entrants).
4. If an Eligible Entrant is under the age of 18, they must obtain consent from their parent or legal guardian before entering the promotion.
Entry into the promotion
5. To enter, Eligible Entrants must reply with an original and unique answer to the competition post on the STACK Official Facebook page (located at https://www.facebook.com/stackmagazine). We encourage entrants to like the page to allow easier communication in the event of them winning. Sharing of the post is not a requirement for entry.
6. Eligible entrants may only enter this competition once and must enter in their own name. The Promoter is not responsible for (and is under no obligation to accept) any lost, late, incomplete or misdirected entries.
7. The time of entry will be deemed to be the time the entry is received by the Promoter.
8. The Promoter reserves the right, at any time, to verify the validity of entries (including an entrant’s identity, age and place of residence) and to disqualify any entrant who is not an Eligible Entrant, has not complied with these Terms and Conditions or tampers with the entry process. Failure by the Promoter to enforce any of her rights at any stage does not constitute a waiver of those rights.
Determination of Winner(s)
9. This promotion is a game of skill and Winner(s) will be selected based on the creativity of their answer.
10. In the event of a “25 words or less” response as a requirement for entry, the Promoter reserves the right to exclude single character words such as ‘i’ and ‘a’ from the total word count.
11. All valid entries received within the competition period as prescribed above will be judged.
13. There will be a total of 5 Winners.
14. The result of the selection is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
The prize
15.Winner/s will receive Quantity of price description.
16. Prizes are not exchangeable or redeemable for cash.
17. If a prize (or part of a prize) is unavailable for any reason, the Promoter, in its discretion, reserves the right to select an alternative prize of similar value which will be awarded to the relevant Winner/s, subject to any written directions from a regulatory authority.
18. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for any tax implications that may arise from the promotion or the prizes. Independent financial advice should be sought.
Notification of the Winner(s)
19. The Promoter will attempt to notify each Winner within two business days of the draw. Contact will be made via Facebook reply on their winning Facebook message. Winner/s are encouraged to be a ‘Fan’ of the STACK Official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/stackmagazine to allow the Promoter to make contact via Facebook.
20. If the Promoter is unable to contact a Winner/s after having made reasonable efforts to do so using the information provided, the Promoter reserves the right to disqualify the entry, in which case the Promoter will reselect an alternate Winner/s.
21. The name of the Winner/s will be published at https://stack.com.au/terms-and-conditions/ by 21 days of the end of the competition and be available for 28 days.
Right of the Promoter to re-select
22. The Promoter reserves the right to re-select a Winner/s in the event of a Winner/s not being an Eligible Entrant, not having complied with these Terms and Conditions or not being able to be contacted by the Promoter after the Promoter have made reasonable efforts to do so. If a re-selection is necessary, it will be conducted by Scribal Custom Pty Ltd (ABN 27 092 362 135) of 33 Jessie Street, Richmond VIC 3121 subject to any written direction given under applicable law. Any Winner/s determined in accordance with this clause 23 will be notified via Facebook reply on their winning Facebook message within two business days of the redraw and their name/s will be published online at https://stack.com.au/stack-competition-winners/.
Limitation of liability and variation of promotion
23. Except as otherwise required by law, if any act, omission, event or circumstance occurs which is beyond the reasonable control of the Promoter and which prevents the Promoter from complying with these Terms and Conditions, the Promoter will not be liable for any failure. to perform or delay in performing its obligations. The Promoter reserves the right (subject to any applicable law or any written directions from a regulatory authority) to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this promotion and these Terms and Conditions.
24. Except for any liability that cannot be excluded by law, the Promoter, its related corporate bodies and their respective officers, employees, contractors and agents will not be liable for any losses (including loss of opportunity), damages, expenses, costs or personal injuries arising out of or in connection with this promotion, or the use of any prize.
Entry details and privacy
25. Entry details remain the property of the Promoter. The name of Winner/s may be used for promotional purposes by the Promoter. Entrants consent to the Promoter using their personal information provided in connection with this promotion for the purposes of facilitating the conduct of the promotion and awarding any prizes. Without limiting the foregoing, entrants’ personal information provided in connection
with this promotion will be handled in accordance with the Promoter’s Privacy Policy at: https://stack.com.au/privacy-policy/
facebookpromotion
26. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. Facebook membership and the use of Facebook generally are subject to the Facebook prevailing terms and conditions of use available at www.facebook.com. Entrants understand that they are providing their information to the Promoter and not to Facebook. Entrants are solely responsible and liable for the content of their entries and any other information they transmit to other internet users via Facebook. To the extent permitted by law, each entrant agrees to indemnify, defend and forever hold harmless, Facebook and its associated agencies and companies, against any and all losses, actions, claims, costs, expenses and damages (of any nature) which may be incurred by an entrant in respect of the entrant’s participation in the promotion. Any questions, comments or complaints about this promotion must be directed to the Promoter and not to Facebook.
“We bought first and then sold, which becomes a bit nerve-wracking in a falling market, but it worked out alright,” he said. “It’s really nice to hand over our home to another family with kids.”
Four of the five registered bidders competed for the home, but needed some encouragement to start the bidding. Credit:Peter Rae
Sales agent William Pereira, of Adrian William, had been expecting seven buyers, but two dropped out at the last minute, deciding to watch the auction from the sidelines.
Pereira said news about rising interest rates and cooling prices had made buyers a bit more cautious in their approach, but noted there was still good buyer demand.
White expected it would be his strongest auction of the day, with only one to two bidders expected at the three other auctions he was calling on Saturday.
“It’s really nice to have strong bidding… that’s a rarity at the moment,” he said.
While rising interest rates were putting downward pressure on prices, as they were affecting buyers’ borrowing power, he felt the pullback in buyer confidence was having a larger effect.
“Buyers move in flocks, so the fact that everybody knows the market is going down, and the fact that they’re anticipating it is going to go down further, is making everybody far less confident… it’s driven by fear.”
In Wahroonga, a six-bedroom house with a tennis court sold for $13.03 million, setting a new suburb record and trading for more than $2 million above the reserve price.
Eight buyers registered to bid on 27 Braeside Street, which had a price guide of $10 million.
The bidding opened at $9 million, and climbed in six-figure increments, with three of the parties making offers. An expat family returning from Hong Kong won.
loading
Records show the 2484-square-meter block last traded for $4,045,000 in 2017, when it was purchased by anesthetist David Woods and Alexandra Woods. The pair rebuilt on the block in 2020.
Selling agents Tim Fraser of Di Jones and Adam McKay of Ray White Upper North Shore said the result was well above their expectations.
McKay said many properties at that price level sold before auction, due to fear that there would not be enough competition.
“We knew we had the interest there, so wanted to have the auction. To get eight registered bidders on a property with a guide of $10 million shows … there’s a lot of depth in the market for buyers at that price level,” McKay said.
Fraser added that buyers of high-end homes had not been as affected by rising interest rates as other purchasers, and many had built up a lot of equity in their existing homes throughout the property boom.
Down south, a four-bedroom house at Taren Point sold for $1.85 million, well above the $1.35 million the home last traded for less than two years ago before an extensive renovation.
Of the six buyers who registered to bid on 34 Curtis Avenue, three made offers, with bidding kicking off at $1.6 million and initially increasing in $25,000 jumps.
Bidding stalled at $1.83 million, the highest bidder then increased their offer to the $1.85 million reserve price, following negotiations on the auction floor.
The 645-square-meter block sold through Trent Tarbey, of McGrath Sans Souci, to an upsizing family from Dolls Point. The sellers were also upsizing, to a home just down the road.
In Alexandria, a two-bedroom townhouse at 14/18-20 Newton Street sold for $1.14 million through Brad Gillespie of The Agency Eastern Suburbs.
loading
First home buyers, upsizers and investors competed for the keys. Bidding opened at $900,000, and quickly passed the $950,000 price guide, with four of the seven registered buyers making offers. A northern beaches investor outbid locals to buy the 139-square-meter block.
The result was $90,000 above the reserve price, and well above the $640,000 the property last sold for in 2013.
The NRL Match Review Committee has come under fire for some glaring inconsistencies regarding foul play in a confounding weekend of rugby league in Round 20.
Storm enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona escaped sanction for an elbow to the face of Warriors hooker Wayde Egan, while teammate Josh King went unpunished for a potential eye-gouge.
Meanwhile, Titans hooker Aaron Booth escaped sanction for a cannonball tackle on Raiders forward Joe Tapine, while Jared Waerea-Hargreaves got away with a fine for a similar action to Asofa-Solomona’s, on Manly rookie Zac Fulton.
Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
And Broncos lock Patrick Carrigan was neither sin-binned or sent off for a hip drop tackle that saw him referred directly to the Judiciary and has him facing a lengthy ban.
Foxsports.com.au breaks down the five incidents to point out the stunning inconsistency from the MRC.
NELSON ASOFA-SOLOMONA
Asofa-Solomona was placed on report for an elbow/forearm on Warriors hooker Wayde Egan, but was not charged by the match review committee.
The incident in the fourth minute of the Storm’s win over the Warriors saw the Asofa-Solomona come down hard on top of Egan’s jaw with his forearm and elbow.
The Warriors rake had to leave the field and there were fears such an action had the potential to result in a broken jaw.
Andrew Johns smoked at the MRC for failing to take action against Asofa-Solomona for an incident that he believed could have resulted in an on-field send-off.
“It’s laughable,” Johns said.
“I back the players all the time, but for me that’s a four-week suspension.
“Nothing for that, or even fine? That’s close to a send-off. I can’t believe it.”
Ryan Girdler accused the MRC of not taking the rules seriously in a stinging rebuke of the Asofa-Solomona decision.
“It was very avoidable as opposed to running the football rather than when you are the defender,” Girdler said on Triple M.
“We spoke about Dale Finucane and the onus needs to be on the defender and there needs to be a duty of care to the player with the ball, especially now we see so many people in tackles and technique and holding and so forth.
“That needs to be taken seriously by the players.
“But if you want to take it seriously then the match review committee need to take it seriously as well.
“Letting Nelson get off with that sends a sign out there to the players, that sort of behavior is OK and it’s not.”
It begs the question, would the Storm star, who has formed, have been suspended or even sent off had he broken Egan’s jaw?
Any player that now finds himself in a similar tackle will be bringing up this Asofa-Solomona incident as their main defense in the future and a dangerous precedent has now been set.
MORE NRL NEWS
TALKING PTS:Silver lining in Panthers’ Clearly nightmare; Bellamy’s big fear laid bare
TEAM TIPS: Kevvie’s Broncos headache amid star’s ban, Panthers’ new look halves
TRANSFER WHISPERS: Eels’ desperate call to land Manly star; Roosters’ rake switch
‘COULD NOT UNDERSTAND’: Manly’s crisis meeting as angry text messages revealed
Nelson Asofa-Soloma escaped sanction for an elbow on Wayde Egan.Source: Supplied
JOSH KING
Storm lock Josh King escaped sanction for a potential eye-gouge on Warriors forward Jazz Tevaga, despite being placed on report and penalized.
In fairness to King the action may have been accidental, but it came just a week after Bulldogs enforcer Corey Waddell copped a five week suspension for coming into contact with the eyes of Titans skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui.
In Waddell’s case there was no genuine proof of a gouging action, but he copped a monster ban for coming into contact with the eyes of an opponent.
Gorden Tallis and Greg Alexander believed that King would be in trouble, given the harsh reaction to the Waddell incident, even if it was incidental contact.
“I think it is minimal contact, but you can’t make contact with the eyes,” Tallis said.
“I don’t like it. Don’t go near the eyes.”
“Corey Waddell got five weeks for not even gouging someone,” Alexander added.
“In slow motion it doesn’t look good. His hand went over the top of the face and got somewhere in the eye vicinity so he could be in trouble.
King could have been given the opportunity to protest his innocence at the judiciary and may well have proven it, but the decision not to charge him a week after giving Waddell five weeks on the sidelines smacks of inconsistency.
Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!
King eye gouge raises questions! | 00:41
AARON BOOTH
Titans hooker Aaron Booth went unpunished by the MRC for a potential cannonball tackle on Raiders forward Joe Tapine.
The incident in the 32nd minute of the Titans 36-24 loss to the Raiders saw two Gold Coast players tackling Tapine before Booth came in late down around his legs from behind in a cannonball style tackle.
Tapine took issue with the tackle and the pair got into a scuffle, which resulted in the Raiders star being sent to the sin bin.
On his way to the sin bin Tapine questioned the tackle to the referee but Ben Cummins said the tackle was cleared.
The cannonball tackle is up there with the hip drop as one of the most dangerous tackles on a rugby league field for its ability to cause serious injury.
“Joe Tapine must have felt what he thought was a cannonball as Aaron Booth comes in right at the knees,” Matt Russell said.
Aaron Booth tackles Joe Tapine.Source: FOX SPORTS
“You have got to be above the knees. Quads or higher.”
While Booth may have initially hit Tapine on the hamstrings, the speed and force at which he came into the tackle from behind as the third man in, had the potential to cause Tapine a serious injury, which is why he was so angry.
Gorden Tallis told Triple M that he didn’t think Patrick Carrigan’s tackle “was as bad as some that I’ve seen this year” and brought up the Booth incident.
“So Aaron Booth, I have spears into the back (of Joe Tapine). Which one is worse in your eyes?,” he asked.
“I can’t believe he didn’t get reported,” Ben Dobbin said.
“It wasn’t even a penalty,” James Hooper added.
“Probably the one from the Titans game, it seemed to have more intent in the tackle,” James Graham added.
If the MRC are serious about stamping it out of the game, Booth should have at least been charged and given the opportunity to defend himself at the judiciary.
Failing to charge these incidents gives the players no deterrent to stop employing the cannonball tackle if they think they can get away with it on a technicality.
Tapine binned for punching Titan | 00:23
PATRICK CARRIGAN
Broncos lock Patrick Carrigan is facing a lengthy suspension for his hip-drop tackle on Jackson Hastings after being referred directly to the judiciary.
Carrigan deserves to be suspended for the ugly tackle that broke Hastings’ leg and ruled him out for the season.
However, if the incident was deemed serious enough to refer Carrigan straight to the judiciary, why was he not sin-binned or sent off?
Nathan Cleary coped with a five week suspension after being sent off for an ugly lifting tackle on Dylan Brown.
If Carrigan is looking at a similar ban, the Tigers should have got the on-field advantage of having the Broncos reduced to 12 men for 10 minutes at least.
James Hooper believes Carrigan will miss the remainder of the regular season with a five week ban.
Patrick Carrigan’s hip-drop tackle.Source: Supplied
“In all likelihood the fact he’s been referred… I think Pat Carrigan is rubbed out for the rest of the season and he’s back for September,” Hooper said.
If Carrigan cops a five game ban, it is confounding how he wasn’t sent off for the tackle or at the very least sin-binned.
On the other hand Gorden Tallis questioned why Carrigan is potentially meeting the same fate as Waddell who is out for five weeks due to an eye-gouge.
“If you tell me that tackle is as bad as an eye gouge… if someone has their fingers around your eyes I’d bite their fingers off,” Tallis said.
It raised the question of Hastings’ injury playing a part in the punishment, which comes back to Asofa-Solomona potentially facing a ban had he broken Egan’s jaw.
Carrigan’s hip drop injuries Hastings | 01:01
JARED WAEREA-HAGREAVES
The Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves escaped with a fine for an early guilty plea after being charged by the match review committee for a similar incident to Asofa-Solomona’s.
The Roosters star was penalized and placed on report for an elbow to the face of Manly rookie Zac Fulton while he was on the ground.
Waerea-Hargreaves’ punishment brings up two questions. Why was he not banned because a small fine is not a deterrent for these actions?
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves escaped with a fine.Source: Getty Images
And given Asofa-Solomona’s incident is widely considered to be much worse than the Roosters star’s actions, why wasn’t the Storm forward charged by the MRC?
Referee Grant Atkins labeled Waerea-Hargreaves actions unacceptable.
“Jared can’t do what he did, that is unacceptable, that is why it is against you,” Atkins said.
But how can an unacceptable action on a rugby league field receive only a small $3000 fine.
Coupled with the Asofa-Soloma incident, a small fine for Waerea-Hargreaves and no punishment at all for the Storm forward offers no deterrent whatsoever for players who employ these grubby tactics.
A detector dog at Darwin Airport has sniffed out a stowaway McDonald’s breakfast in the backpack of an Aussie traveler flying home from Bali – leaving him with a $2664 fine.
The penalty for the undeclared meat and dairy products is part of the active biosecurity efforts being made to stop foot and mouth disease (FMD) from entering the country.
Watch the video above for more on this story
For more Travel related news and videos check out 7Travel >>
“Two egg and beef sausage McMuffins from McDonald’s in Bali and a ham croissant” were the offending menu items that caught the attention of biosecurity sniffer dog Zinta, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister Murray Watt told 7NEWS.com.au in a statement.
Stopping the food groups from entering the country is just one of several measures the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is cracking down on to mitigate the biosecurity threat.
“Detector dog Zinta responded to a passenger’s backpack and, after further inspection, it was found they were carrying a variety of risk items,” Watt said.
“This will be the most expensive Maccas meal this passenger ever has.
“This fine is twice the cost of an airfare to Bali, but I have no sympathy for people who choose to disobey Australia’s strict biosecurity measures, and recent detections show you will be caught.”
McMuffins from a Bali McDonald’s cost one Australian traveler more than twice the price of his flight after he failed to declare the potential biosecurity threat. Credit: Supplied
He was issued a “12-unit infringement notice for failing to declare potential high biosecurity risk items and providing a false and misleading document”.
The undeclared food was inspected for FMD and destroyed.
“Biosecurity is no joke—it helps protect jobs, our farms, food and supports the economy. Passengers who choose to travel need to make sure they are fulfilling the conditions to enter Australia, by following all biosecurity measures,” Watt said.
Indonesian authorities confirmed on July 5 that there had been an FMD outbreak in livestock, and as Australia is FMD-free, authorities are being extra vigilant at the border.
The disease “can survive in meat and dairy products even if they are frozen, chilled or freeze-dried,” the department said.
Zinta the biosecurity detector dog has been assigned the job of tracking down potential carriers of foot and mouth disease before they enter the country. Credit: Supplied
The infringement notice cost more than the man’s flights, but that is the standard cost of failing to declare biosecurity risks at the border.
Travelers who are entering Australia on temporary visas could also risk them being cancelled, ensuring they cannot enter the country.
“Travellers arriving from Indonesia will be under much stricter biosecurity scrutiny due to the presence of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Indonesia, including at the popular tourist destination Bali,” the department said in a statement.
The Albanese government last month announced a $14 million biosecurity package.
It has also rolled out biosecurity dogs at Darwin and Cairns airports, as well as sanitation and on-ground support at Australian and international airports.
